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Cursor Keyboard Shortcuts (Latest) — Complete Cheat Sheet
Get the most out of the Cursor AI code editor — master its AI chat, inline edit, and codebase-wide commands alongside standard VS Code shortcuts.
29 shortcuts across 3 categories · Windows · macOS · Linux
Cursor is a VS Code-based AI code editor that adds powerful AI-native shortcuts on top of the full VS Code shortcut set. Learning when to use the AI inline edit (Ctrl+K) versus the full chat (Ctrl+L) versus multi-file Composer (Ctrl+Shift+I) is the key to getting the most out of Cursor's AI capabilities alongside familiar editor commands.
AI Features
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open AI Chat | Ctrl + L | Open the AI chat panel to ask questions about your code |
| Inline Edit (Ask AI) | Ctrl + K | Open the inline AI edit bar to modify selected code with a prompt |
| Composer (multi-file edit) | Ctrl + Shift + I | Open Composer to make AI edits across multiple files at once |
| Accept AI Suggestion | Tab | Accept the current AI inline code suggestion |
| Reject AI Suggestion | Escape | Dismiss the current AI inline suggestion |
| Accept Next Word | Ctrl + → | Accept just the next word of the AI suggestion |
| Add File to Context | @ | Type @ in the chat to reference a file, symbol, or doc |
| Reference Codebase | Ctrl + Enter | Send the chat message with full codebase context enabled |
| New Chat | Ctrl + Shift + L | Start a new AI chat conversation |
| Toggle AI Pane | Ctrl + B | Show or hide the AI sidebar panel |
Editing (VS Code compatible)
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Command Palette | Ctrl + Shift + P | Open the command palette to run any editor command |
| Quick Open File | Ctrl + P | Open any file by name |
| Go to Line | Ctrl + G | Jump to a specific line number |
| Find | Ctrl + F | Search within the current file |
| Find and Replace | Ctrl + H | Find and replace text in the current file |
| Find in Files | Ctrl + Shift + F | Search across all project files |
| Duplicate Line | Alt + Shift + ↓ | Duplicate the current line below |
| Move Line Up / Down | Alt + ↑ / ↓ | Move the current line up or down |
| Comment Line | Ctrl + / | Toggle line comment |
| Format Document | Ctrl + Shift + I | Auto-format the entire file |
| Multi-Cursor | Alt + Click | Add a cursor at each clicked position |
| Select All Occurrences | Ctrl + Shift + L | Select every instance of the current selection |
Navigation
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Go to Definition | F12 | Jump to the definition of the symbol under cursor |
| Peek Definition | Alt + F12 | Peek at the definition inline without leaving the file |
| Go to References | Shift + F12 | Show all references to the current symbol |
| Toggle Terminal | Ctrl + ` | Open or close the integrated terminal |
| Toggle Sidebar | Ctrl + B | Show or hide the file explorer sidebar |
| Split Editor | Ctrl + \ | Split the editor pane |
| Close Tab | Ctrl + W | Close the current editor tab |
Cursor Tips & Tricks
- Ctrl+K for quick inline changes, Ctrl+L for conversations: Use Ctrl+K when you want to make a specific, small change to a code block — 'convert this to async', 'add error handling here'. Use Ctrl+L when you want to ask a question or discuss the code before deciding what to change.
- Use @ to give the AI precise context: In the chat (Ctrl+L), type @ to reference a specific file, function, or documentation URL. The AI then has exact context rather than guessing. For example: '@AuthController add a logout endpoint' targets exactly the right file.
- Composer for multi-file features: Ctrl+Shift+I opens Composer, which can read and write across multiple files in one go. This is the right tool for 'add a new API route with a database model and frontend hook' — tasks that touch 3+ files at once.
Frequently Asked Questions — Cursor
- What is the shortcut to open AI chat in Cursor?
- Press Ctrl+L (Cmd+L on Mac) to open the AI chat panel on the right side of the editor. You can ask questions about your code, request explanations, or ask Cursor to write new code. The chat maintains context from your current file automatically.
- How do I use Cursor to edit code with AI inline?
- Select the code you want to change, then press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) to open the inline AI edit bar. Type a natural-language instruction such as 'add error handling' or 'convert to async/await' and press Enter. Cursor will rewrite the selection and show a diff for you to accept or reject.
- What is Cursor Composer and how do I open it?
- Composer is Cursor's multi-file AI editing mode. Press Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Shift+I on Mac) to open it. Unlike inline edits (Ctrl+K) which work on a selection, Composer can read and write across multiple files in your project at once — ideal for adding a complete feature that spans several files.
- How do I accept or reject an AI suggestion in Cursor?
- Press Tab to accept the full inline AI suggestion, or Ctrl+Right arrow to accept just the next word of the suggestion. Press Escape to dismiss the suggestion entirely. For Composer edits, use the Accept or Reject buttons shown alongside the diff preview.
How to Learn Cursor Keyboard Shortcuts
Cursor is built on VS Code and inherits its entire shortcut ecosystem while adding a layer of AI-specific shortcuts on top. Understanding when to reach for which AI feature is the central Cursor skill: Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac) opens an inline edit dialog for targeted changes to selected code or for generating new code at the cursor position; Ctrl+L opens the full sidebar chat for longer questions, explanations, and multi-step reasoning; Ctrl+Shift+I opens the Composer for multi-file tasks that require coordinated changes across the codebase. These three shortcuts are the foundation of the Cursor workflow, and using the right one for each situation makes AI assistance dramatically more effective than defaulting to chat for everything.
Because Cursor is built on VS Code, every VS Code shortcut works identically — the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), Quick Open (Ctrl+P), and multi-cursor editing (Ctrl+D) all behave exactly as they do in VS Code. This means developers already fluent in VS Code shortcuts can immediately use Cursor at full efficiency, with only the AI-specific shortcuts to add. Cursor also supports Tab completion of AI suggestions, which appears inline as grey text while you're typing and can be accepted by pressing Tab — similar to GitHub Copilot. The Ctrl+→ shortcut accepts the next word of a suggestion (rather than the full completion), which allows partial acceptance when the AI's suggestion is partly right but needs adjustment. This combination of VS Code fluency and AI-native shortcuts is what makes Cursor the most keyboard-efficient AI coding environment currently available.